Overview of occupant-centric KPIs for building performance and their value to various building stakeholders

Abstract

Recognizing the significance of occupants and their interactions with the building's operational systems, various occupant-related key performance indicators (KPIs) have been established. However, there remains a notable gap concerning the practical utilization of these indicators by building stakeholders. Therefore, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the occupant-related building performance KPIs and how various building stakeholders influence them through their decision-making. The study assessed: (1) roles of various building stakeholders; (2) stakeholders’ requirement for occupant-centric KPIs in their decision-making process; (3) factors demonstrating effective occupant-centric KPIs along with data requirements to evaluate them; and (4) stakeholders’ decisions and actions that affect occupant-centric KPIs. Key stakeholders identified involved investors, building owners, designers, building occupants, building managers and operators, as well as utility providers. Effective occupant-centric KPIs were characterised by their fit-for-purpose, actionability, quantifiability, comparability, reproducibility, integrability, feasibility, and usability. Results indicated that building managers and operators primarily affect thermal, air quality, and visual KPIs. Building occupants, public authorities, investors, building owners, and designers influence all categories of occupant-centric KPIs. Utility providers particularly impact thermal KPIs. In conclusion, findings of this study contribute to shaping the way in which stakeholders consider occupants in their decision-making to achieve building performance objectives by data-driven occupant-centric KPIs.